After lingering with Eleanor for a while, I was forced to reluctantly part ways. I had warmly offered her to join for lunch, but she had politely declined in order to see her father off.
Obviously, I let her go without a fuss.
Eleanor had been constantly by Gabriel’s side since her birth, ticulously following in his footsteps and observing his dealings with high-ranking nobles and shrewd rchants.
Now that her official engagent to had been decided, she was politically bound to remain inside the royal castle by my side, just like the rest of my wives, because she was officially recognized as a Queen.
Truthfully, she still could have reasonably chosen to travel with her father if she truly desired, but she chose to stay. Her father had explicitly asked her to remain in the capital to support and politically counsel , and Eleanor had taken that duty entirely to heart.
She was truly a precious gem.
Because she was inevitably going to be separated from Gabriel far more often from now on, I had to ensure she was given the proper ti to say her farewells. I had also thoughtfully sent Leilah who was supposed to be my new personal bodyguard, or perhaps ’shadow attendant’ was a much better term for her role.
Since she had likely been quietly raised by Gabriel as well, it was only right to let her see him off.
But damn, I had never heard of the existence of a masked woman nad Leilah standing faithfully by Eleanor’s side. I had never once seen her appear in any of Eleanor’s specific scenes while playing the original ga.
Which ant there was a very high probability that Leilah had tragically died early on in the tiline, perhaps on the exact sa day Gabriel was brutally assassinated.
So Eleanor had potentially lost her beloved father and her adopted sister at the exact sa ti? You bet she burned with a desire for revenge against the Black Sun. In fact, it was impressive how calm and perfectly collected she had managed to remain throughout the gastory, despite having suffered such devastating, personal losses.
Regardless, I refused to let such a horrific tragedy occur this ti around. Gabriel Goldwyn had been specifically targeted and killed because he was secretly the main financial sponsor for the struggling resistance desperately trying to recover Helios. And considering exactly how filthy rich the man was, you bet the Black Sun had desperately wanted to eliminate him as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately for them, they had strongly underestimated his brilliant daughter. Eleanor had seamlessly taken over his vast empire, funneling endless streams of gold to provide weapons, heavy armor, and fresh soldiers, single-handedly bankrolling an entire rebellion.
Damn it, I now deeply regretted the fact that I had never managed to play past the Academy Arc. I really wanted to know exactly how that conflict had ultimately played out.
Well, I knew for a fact there would eventually be massive story arcs concerning the fall of the Kingdom of Gardenia, followed by the crisis in Helios. But the broader ga narrative was obviously not entirely centered around those specific political conflicts, and there were inevitably far greater, world-ending threats looming on the horizon that the Black Sun would play definitely in it
From my subjective perspective though, my most pressing problems were clearly the political stability of Helios, the embargo from Gardenia, and the creeping infiltration of the Black Sun. But for the original ga’s Protagonist and the main Heroines, they would eventually have entirely different issues to deal with.
However, when it ca to directly protecting my own life and the safety of my precious wives, especially Eleanor I would intervene obviously.
Of course, to successfully prevent any of those future tragedies from occurring, I first had to ensure I prevented my own impending assassination, which was the catalyst that would inevitably result in the Black Sun slowly taking over Helios in the first place.
"Well, that shouldn’t be too complicated," I smirked softly to myself, coming to a halt directly in front of the towering, carved doors of the grand dining hall.
The two heavily armored knights standing rigidly as guards instantly bowed their heads in deep, respectful bows before pulling the massive wooden doors open.
Still wearing a smile, I stepped inside.
My expression shifted into one of slight surprise upon seeing my mother and Lenora already seated there.
It was, after all, quite late for the midday al.
I had lingered with Eleanor for a while, completely losing track of the hour, but they seed to be eating rather late as well. Well, my mother had likely been engaged in conversation with Gabriel until just monts ago.
Regardless, putting my mother and Lenora aside, Cynthia was also seated at the long table.
It had honestly been quite strange that she had skipped our previous royal lunch, considering she was essentially treated as part of our family. But this ti, she was finally present.
Well, her previous hesitation almost certainly stemd from the awkward, glaring fact that she was now officially engaged to , a man she had spent her entire life treating as nothing more than a younger brother. It must have been strange and terribly uncomfortable for her to adjust to the new reality.
"Well, the royal table is quite crowded today," I smiled as I approached.
"Good afternoon, Brother," Lenora offered, her greeting dry.
Alice was standing quietly behind Lenora’s chair, grouped among the other attending maids. They all bowed their heads deeply upon seeing enter. Alice, especially, cast a lingering, painful look in my direction, but I purposefully ignored it.
I honestly did not enjoy seeing that deeply distraught, thoroughly beaten expression resting upon the pretty face I had grown to care for over the years, so I simply preferred not to look at it at all.
"Your Majesty," Cynthia began, imdiately starting to stand up, but I swiftly raised my hand to stop her.
"Co now, Cynthia, you do not have to call by that title, nor must you formally greet like a stranger. You are my family, and now you are my wife on top of that," I said, flashing her a warm smile as I finally took my seat at the head of the table.
Lenora loudly scoffed following my smooth words.
Carefully unbuckling Hyperion from my belt and leaning the heavy blade against the armrest, I sat down and comfortably reclined into the plush back of the chair.
"Hah... Father always used to sit upon such an incredibly comfortable chair, while we were constantly stuck with the lower quality ones during our grand suppers. It was truly unfair. Now, however, I can fully appreciate the luxury," I said aloud.
"Lower quality ones, Brother? Seriously?" Lenora retorted, incredulously tapping the rich, velvet cushion she was currently sitting upon. "These are ticulously crafted from the finest imported silk for maximum comfort."
"Mine is still vastly better," I replied simply.
"If you are going to endlessly complain about Father’s choices, how about we gladly exchange seats then?" She said, flashing a sharp, mocking smile as she elegantly took a small bite of roasted pork.
"I am the undisputed King, Lenora. Naturally, I require the best seat," I replied.
She rolled her eyes in response.
I turned my attention toward my quiet mother.
"My dear Mother, how exactly has your day been so far?" I asked, my tone perfectly pleasant.
"It has been very good, Lumiel," she replied, offering a tight, painfully forced smile.
"Is that so? Because, judging entirely by that plastered, rigid smile currently frozen upon your face, I can only assu your desperate attempt to persuade Arges to return has been a complete failure?" I asked, raising a knowing brow.
Lenora imdiately had to stifle a sharp laugh upon hearing my words.
Mother shot a withering glare at Lenora before instantly turning that heated glare directly upon .
"Are you truly that satisfied with yourself, Lumiel?" She asked upset.
"Co now, Mother. Do you honestly believe I am genuinely happy about this unfortunate situation?" I asked her.
"Then imdiately bring him back! He will only listen and return to his post if you are the one to personally order it," she insisted, leaning heavily forward over the table.
I let out a sigh.
"Alright. I will consider it... just as soon as Morgana cos and formally apologizes to ," I said.
"Here we go again..." Lenora muttered, shaking her head in exhausted exasperation.
"Stop acting like a petulant child, Lumiel! You are the King now; it is well past ti you started acting like one. You can officially call off the sacred engagent made by your late father with Morgana if you truly wish to indulge your pettiness, but you cannot carelessly strip Arges of his vital commanding title!" She snapped.
"But I clearly can, Mother, considering I have already successfully done it," I pointed out calmly.
Right after the blunt words left my mouth, she stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the stone floor.
"Mother, please," I called out, my voice finally losing its playful edge.
She paused, turning her hard, fearful gaze directly toward .
"I am terrified for you and your sister, and yet you are carelessly doing such reckless things! Who else can we possibly trust here in this capital to protect us from danger other than Arges? Your father died peacefully in his bed solely because he knew Arges would remain by our side to act as our shield... and you just foolishly sent him away," she said, her voice cracking slightly at the end.
Looking at her in such a fearful state, I felt a light constriction tight in my chest, but I held myself back from breaking character.
Just a little bit more ti.
"I am right here to protect you all, Mother. Do you honestly not trust ?" I asked, allowing a slight, offended grumble to bleed into my voice. "I have fully awakened. I am the Guardian of the Fla."
Her deeply anxious expression softened just a fraction upon hearing my upset tone.
"I do trust you, my son, but you are still young. Please, listen to your mother’s advice. You must learn to be wise," she pleaded softly.
"I have never been any wiser than I am right in this exact mont, Mother. And if you do not trust in my newfound capabilities to properly protect myself, then I suggest you co assist and watch tomorrow’s duel with Morgana," I said with a smile.
"D—Duel?" Lenora almost choked, her jaw dropping open in disbelief.
"Yes. She was quite upset about what I did to her father, so she stord in to demand I give his commanding title back. I generously accepted her terms, under the condition that she manages to beat in a formal sword sparring match first," I replied, flashing a smug smile.
Lenora remained dumbfounded, while Cynthia’s eyes widened in shock.
My mother, however, simply looked infinitely more upset by the news. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stord out of the dining hall with furious strides.
"B—Brother, do you wish to be publicly humiliated?!" Lenora finally shrieked, leaning over the table.
"I have no intentions of being humiliated," I said, leaning back slightly as a nervous maid hurriedly placed my heavy plate before and began filling it with steaming dishes.
"But you have never once managed to beat Morgana in a sword spar! And she is very good with a blade, you know that perfectly well!" Lenora shouted in exasperation.
"Why are you constantly treating as though I am physically incapable of even lifting a practice sword?" I asked, my golden eyes twitching in annoyance.
"Well, you can lift one! But you do not hold a single candle against soone as experienced as her!" She insisted.
"Experienced? Please, Sister," I rolled my eyes. "The greatest, and most terrifying enemy she has ever fought in her entire pampered life is the stray pig that accidentally wandered into her backyard when she was twelve."
Cynthia suddenly giggled behind her hand upon hearing the comparison.
When I snapped my gaze toward her, she imdiately lowered her eyes, suddenly looking incredibly awkward, which honestly only made smile a bit wider.
"Very funny, Brother. But your own greatest opponent may have just been sothing slightly less threatening than a pig," Lenora shot back, entirely unimpressed by my mocking.
"Do not worry your pretty head, stupid Sister. Just make sure you co tomorrow and happily watch as little Morgana pitifully whimpers on the dirt," I said, confidently tearing a chunk of warm bread and taking a bite alongside a thick cut of roasted pork sausage.
"Do you truly want to get petty revenge on her that badly for everything she forced you to endure as a child?" Lenora asked, finally laughing softly despite her lingering worry.
"Well, it would certainly be a lie if I claid there was no part of seeking exactly that. It will be satisfying, I will not say otherwise," I replied, before shifting my gaze directly onto Cynthia. "I am counting on your presence tomorrow, Cynthia. I am quite sure you are very much looking forward to finally seeing Morgana eating dirt."
"W—Well, I will certainly be there," Cynthia replied, flushing slightly.
"Yes, that is exactly what I thought," Lenora smirked mischievously, casting a highly knowing, teasing look toward Cynthia.
Cynthia rely offered a light, dismissive shrug in return.
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